Jonathan Deal, chairman of the Treasure the Karoo Action Group, received the Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco on Monday, in recognition of his work in the fight against shale gas mining.

Jonathan Deal, South African environmental campaigner and chairman of the Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG) has received the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work in the fight against shale gas mining in the Karoo.

Each year, the Goldman Environmental Foundation selects grassroots activists from around the world to honour them for their work. With a cash prize of $150 000 (approximately R1.5m), it is the largest award for grassroots environmental activism in the world. Deal is one of six recipients of the award for 2013 and the second South African to be recognised with the Goldman Prize. Bobby Peek was awarded the prize in 1998 for his fight against industrial pollution in the South Durban region.

According to Deal, who received the prize at an awards ceremony in San Francisco on Monday 15 April, the value of the prize has already manifested itself in TKAG. Deal has now been able to pay salaries to staff that have worked on a voluntary basis for two years, and he has committed to reaching out to rural communities, an effort in which he had been assisted by AfriForum.

Shale gas mining (also known as fracking) is a technique used to extract natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth. Environmental groups

and many scientists believe this technique degrades the land, pollutes ground water and fouls the air.

Deal and his wife own a property in the Karoo. His book Timeless Karoo was published in 2007 after three years of research, writing and photography. In 2011 he heard about Shell’s plans to apply for exploratory permits to drill for natural gas in the Karoo and went from being a nature lover to an environmental activist.

His deep knowledge of the Karoo convinced him Shell’s plan wasn’t something that should be pushed through in haste, without careful consideration of its environmental impact and consultation with a diverse spectrum of local communities–many of whom have been historically left out of these conversations. Fracking would require large quantities of water not available in the area, and the boom-and-bust cycle of gas development would hardly provide a sustainable solution to South Africa’s energy and job challenges.

With no prior training in grassroots organising, Deal immediately got to work, starting a Facebook group to educate the public about the risks of fracking. The page quickly gained an active membership of more than 7,000, some of whom Deal convened at a meeting to form TKAG. Over the course of a few months, they built a viral online presence and coupled it with on-the-ground efforts to inform rural communities about fracking.

Deal led a dedicated team of scientists, legal experts and volunteers to debate the merits of fracking with Shell executives in public meetings and in the media, as well as prepare a comprehensive report, delivered by TKAG to President Jacob Zuma, that called for a moratorium on fracking, but this was lifted in September 2012. Deal said that licences for shale gas mining in the Karoo can be issued by the Department of Minerals and Energy at any time, but TKAG and AfriForum will be ready to appeal the issuing of any licences.

â€œThere are fatal flaws in the applicants’ environmental management plans as well as other considerations, and TKAG and AfriForum will be opposing any licences that may be granted,” said Julius Kleynhans, Head of Environmental Affairs at AfriForum.